-from John Cage’s Europeras 1 & 2, Presented by The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Co-produced by The Industry. Photos by Craig T. Matthew
“This will be a good place to put my bio.”
James Hayden, bass, grew up in a household where the living room speakers pumped out either Placido Domingo or Led Zeppelin depending on which parent had control of the remote. This upbringing influenced his time at the University of Southern California, where he trained with choral, operatic, and pop ensembles in pursuit of his Vocal Arts degree. James has developed a particular fondness for unusual performances, learning how to sing and ride a penny-farthing bike as the Basso Buffo in the LA Phil’s production of John Cage’s Europeras, and portraying a cowardly crooner in the world premier of Annie Gosfield’s War of the Worlds.
A vocalist, studio musician, and union delegate (AGMA) based in Los Angeles, CA, his “extraordinarily deep bass” can be heard performing “They’re The Clades” in Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World, and on over 100 other television, movie, and video game soundtracks including Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Grinch, Muppets Most Wanted, and Call of Duty: Cold War. He has provided pop vocals for Rosalía’s Motomami and Motomami+ albums, subharmonic vocals for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, OH-EE-OHs for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, and backing vocals for Lady Gaga’s 2025 Mayhem Tour.
He is particularly interested in the intersection of games and art, premiering his “harsh but well taken” AI-fever-dream infection piece SLOP! with HEX Vocal Ensemble as part of The Ford and Cornerstone Theater Company’s DIRECT ADDRESS. He’s currently probing the limits of false-fold and vocal-fry approaches to singing textured subterranean tones.
He is a Roster Chorister with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and a Company Member with The Industry, the experimental opera company praised by KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen as “the coolest opera company in the world.” When not being “languorously sexy” or “a weird, looming presence” on the operatic stage, you can find him recording vocals in his home studio, playing convoluted board games with friends, and writing award-winning pop a cappella charts for ensembles across the U.S